Green machines, rusty bolts, and dynamic range

Posted in Aesthetics and Technique, Gear Talk, PhotographyTagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

The clouds are slowly dissipating after months of grey days and this weekend provided an opportunity to drive around some of the vibrant towns of the Murray River. I packed my bag with the Olympus E-1, Nikon Z5, and the Sony RX100. I continue to be impressed with the output from the old E-1, but dynamic range is limited, and careful consideration of a scene is required before clicking the shutter button, I’ve discovered.

Shadows on emerald metal – Olympus E-1

Window of opportunity

Every digital sensor (and film, of course) has a limited window within which it can manage the dynamic range of a scene. If the dynamic range (brightest and darkest areas) of a scene exceed the window, then an exposure decision must be made: crush blacks or burn highlights? Modern sensors have a bigger window, so provide more latitude. The E-1, not so much.

Scenes with plenty of mid-tones and minimal strong highlights / deep shadows are good for this camera. Evenly lit scenes are great too. With excessive tonal ranges, I usually crush blacks because it’s less distracting for the eye, but it depends on how numerous the extreme tonal ranges are and the composition I’ve decided on.

Unused, catching dust and webs – Olympus E-1

The onboard tonal response of the Olympus is contrasty. Again, great for evenly lit scenes that could use a contrast bump, but not so great for extreme tonal ranges where pushing them further just causes distracting visual elements. The more I use this camera, the better I get at evaluating scenes in front of me before even picking the camera up. And if I can frame a scene and limit the extreme tonal ranges, I’ll do that. I also commonly dial in some negative Exposure Compensation to protect highlights but only when I want to preserve better gradation of tone over areas where distracting highlights could be a problem. Evenly lit scenes don’t need it unless that’s the look I’m going for.

Beneath the old machine – Olympus E-1

Calibrated for the old film pros?

It’s clear to me that the RAW files from the Olympus E-1 are different to the RAW files we get from modern cameras, but I don’t think this is a CMOS or CCD issue. The native tonal response of the E-1 produces files that are already contrasty and punchy. The images on this page are essentially the RAW output with barely any editing at all.

I know that some people will say I should use OM Workspace to get the colour goodness from this camera, but that software remains awful to use. And the few RAW files from the E-1 I’ve loaded into OM Workspace produce much the same initial result as the Adobe Standard profile in Lightroom, though my testing isn’t extensive enough to warrant strong views.

So, back to my speculation on the punchy files from the E-1. In 2003, when the camera was released, digital photography wasn’t mainstream. It’s entirely possible that early cameras like this were internally calibrated to produce images that were as close to certain film types as possible in terms of punchiness and also required less editing in software. Remember,  there wasn’t a lot of RAW editing software around at the time.

None of that means these old cameras make filmic photos, but it may explain why there seem to be differences in output compared to our modern cameras. I think this is less about the inherent properties of a CCD sensor and more about what kinds of photos the film companies wanted us to see from their cameras via internal calibrations. Now that photo editing programs are numerous and commonplace, modern cameras are calibrated to output flat RAW files that can easily be edited. Just speculation, of course.

Around the emerald machine – Olympus E-1

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11 thoughts on “Green machines, rusty bolts, and dynamic range”

  1. Agreed on OM Workspace. They haven’t figured out how to make it easily compatible with the Mac OS and this is completely baffling to me. To update firmware on OM System gear, I have to use my office PC. Interesting take on the CCD sensor….L.

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    1. Definitely not the only imaging company to struggle when it comes to software! What do you think of OM System’s products? I have the Olympus OMD Mk2 but I purchased that right before Olympus sold off the imaging arm.

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      1. I enjoy shooting with Olympus and OM System gear. I own the latest MK II M1. I was given the idea of this format by my friend Butch Lombardi, a great wildlife photographer. I have used the longer lenses for bird photography primarily. I do love the compact size and low weight of the system. The 40-150 F 2.8 is one of the finest lenses I have ever used. The great selection of lenses at all price points is a big draw. I am overwhelmed by the technical capabilities of the camera. Photographers wax on about them, but I am content to shoot in Manual mode without the frills. If one is seeking acute sharpness, then this is the system for it. Not being a huge fan of intense sharpness, this characteristic is a negative for me. On a day when I want to shoot images I know will align with my style, I shoot my old Nikon D850. It is an amazing camera, but heavy. I worked with Nikon for many years, and know the menu system like the back of my hand. I will never achieve such familiarity or comfort with the OM System camera.

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  2. I find you post fun and a lesson in cameras and photography at the same time. I write a post every Monday called Blogger Highlight and would like to highlight you and your blog. Theirs little you have to do, just answer a few questions that will interest the community and provide some information about yourself if it’s not already on your blog. It’s not personal, just fun and an introduction to the community who will hopefully chek out your blog. Is that cool? 🙂 I haven’t written one in two weks but you can find almost 2 years worth in my archives if your unsure.

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      1. Great, I’m glad. The community will enjoy learning about you and your blog. If I remember correctly you don’t have an About Me page to better understand who you are or about your blog. There’s no rush, this is for fun. Can you write a paragraph about yourself, your blog, or anything you would like to share? You can answer here or you can email me at msandorm@icloud.com. Thanks.

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